WEC: Mike Conway to retire at the end of the 2026 season

Mike Conway will retire at the end of the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) season. The 43-year-old Briton, a Toyota Gazoo Racing driver, announced it on 6 October 2026, days before the penultimate round of the year in Barcelona on 18 October.

A record built over more than 20 years of racing

Conway has raced for more than 20 years. His main results:

• two Le Mans 24 Hours wins, in 2021 and 2026;
• two world titles in LMP1/Hypercar, in 2019-20 and in 2021;
• four IndyCar race wins;
• successes in the Macau Grand Prix.

According to Motorsport.com he has driven for Toyota since 2014. Toyota therefore loses a decorated driver who has been with the team for more than ten years.

Why stop now?

Conway explains that his second Le Mans 24 Hours win felt like the right moment to close the chapter and spend more time with his family. Autosport adds that Toyota had chosen not to renew his contract before the Le Mans race. The 2026 win therefore serves as the high point of an endurance career.

A season finale that is still open

Conway shares his Toyota with Nyck de Vries and Kamui Kobayashi. The crew is second in the drivers' standings, 10 points behind the sister car, the number 8. Two rounds remain, including Barcelona on 18 October, so Conway still has two race weekends to chase another title before hanging up his helmet.

Who takes his place?

Kevin Estre will join Toyota in 2027. He arrives under a loan agreement with Porsche. The sources consulted do not say which car he will drive or who his team-mates will be.

What to remember

For the WEC, the departure removes a driver who won at Le Mans, took two world titles and shone in IndyCar and at Macau. For Toyota, the stakes are now twofold: try to win the 2026 title with Conway, then prepare 2027 with Estre. The sources consulted announce no other driver changes at Toyota. The editorial team will follow the end of the season, starting with the Barcelona round on 18 October.